More and more people are now getting involved in activities such as watersports including boating, sailing or surfing and they take equipment with them during these activities that they use in their day to day activities, for example electronic equipment including cameras, mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, mobile tablets. In addition other items such as food or books may be taken along. However in activities such as watersports there is always the risk that the item may be knocked or dropped into water where there is the risk that it will be damaged or rendered useless depending how much contact there is with the water.
Waterproof sealing systems are known for a range of products. Typically these systems involve the use of a bag into which a product is inserted and then the bag is closed in some way so that the product is encased in the bag. The system uses clips or fasteners such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,899,696 where clip members can be used to temporarily close the end of a bag. In this case the device includes clip members connected by a spring hinge at one end and can be fastened together by a depressible spring clasp at the other to close the bag.
Another type of closure is one as described in our earlier European Patent EP-B-0763377 which describes a closure mechanism in which two bars are releasably connectable together to clamp the edge of a bag between them to close the bag. The releasable connection is formed by at least one bayonet connector and the bars are connected to each other by the twisting of a bayonet closure. However in some cases, the small size of the bayonet connector may make it difficult for a user to quickly open or close the bag.
Other devices involve some physical interaction between two parts of the closure means such as the use of press studs, clamps or by securing one member to another so that the end of a bag is clamped between the parts.
However these known systems use fastening arrangements where one part of the fastener engages with another in a single plane means that if they are not secured tightly enough to one another there may be ingress of water between gaps in the two parts of the fastener. Further the tightening of fasteners such as nuts can be awkward because it requires both hands which may be difficult, especially if the hands are cold or wet.
Additionally, known cases often need to be opened and closed in order for a user to operate a device such as a camera that is in the case but the present invention provides a “use through case” which means that the device inside the case can be operated without having to be removed and this avoids the risk of a device being damaged if it is dropped by a person engaged in an activity such as sailing or canoeing where dropping the device in water could damage the device permanently. A further disadvantage is that when using small individual parts such as nuts or screws, they may be inadequately tightened which means that proper sealing may not be provided around an enclosed item.
Finally, if the sealing system is used in a marine environment, often metal parts such as nuts and bolts must be made from marine grade steel which is resistant to rusting and this adds to the expense of production of the bag. Also if the bag that is used has to be folded over as part of the closure process then additional material for the bag is need which adds to the cost of the bag and hence the whole system. The two-dimensional nature of all previous clamps means that, in order to create an aperture big enough for a device such as a camera to pass through, the flattened-material must be much longer than the item itself, and therefore the clamp must be disproportionally larger.
The present invention seeks to overcome the problems of the prior art by providing a system that is easy to use and which forms a particularly efficient waterproof covering for the device inside.
In addition the system is easy to use and provides a system where there is minimal risk of the parts not being secured together correctly and which is also cost effective. Further the invention allows for a larger aperture for a case which means that the case/bag can easily accommodate the dimensions of the object that is to be placed in the case/bag.